THE LAND OF STORYBOOK PEOPLE

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 115, 17 May 1930, Page 18

THE LAND OF STORYBOOK PEOPLE

(Part I.)

HELEN ancl Peter sat on the playroom Aviudow-scat stating at the rain.' Peter drummed- his fingers on the window-pane, and Helen grumbled. • It certainly was tiresome that, now they had recovered from the measles, the rain should keep them ,' indoors. ; At last, in spite of being twins, and 1 good chums usually, they grew so cross that they began to make faces at each ' othor unitl they were suddenly startled '.• by. 'a squeaky voico saying in shocked ' tones: "Oil, dear; oh, '.dearie uie-l" Both children turned quickly '■.. and ' ' looked about, them. There on the rug " stood a little old man, scarcely a foot high, with twinkling blue eyes and a Jong white beard. He wore a. gold-col-oured tunic arid cap like tho goblins in Hclon's picture books. They both stared at him in astonishmoiit.; Then: '.'Who are you!" asked Peter,':"and where do you come from?" . . "First," said tho little .-nan/ "tell . me why you wore making such dread- • ful faces at each other." • . .

. "Because it's "raining." said Peter, -."and .we're .tired of all our toys and - things, and don't know what.to do." "We've just had the measlel" explained Helen, "and we've not been able to play outside for two weekß, and now, just because we're better and • are allowed to go out again, it keeps on raining and raining." : ".That's really too.'bad," said the - little.man, "but one should /always try | td- he cheerful:and make the best of ! things,you know.' Surely, you can find ?•"• something better to' do' than ' making 'faces at each other! What about all i those story-books I see over there? ] Why don't you read them?" ',"■' "I'm just sick of books," said ; Pe-t.-ter crossly. . «'■ "We've read them over and .over * again, till we know most of them off j by heart," said Helen. '■' :'■'. "So that's how you feel?" muttered t':.'-tha -Httlo man. He thought hard.for

a moment, and then his face brightened. ■"I have an idea!" lie said "I'm the' gatekeeper of the Land of Story-book .People. I'm having a holiday to-day, and I'll " Ho broke off, and looked hard at the twins with his twinkling blue eyes. "Can you keep a promiso?" ho asked. "Oh, Aye - can, truly!" they both cried "at once. "Well,; I'll lend you my key, :and you can spend a little vvhilo in the Land of' Story-book People. I'm sure you'd onjby yourselves and have some jolly adventures, and that you will "think,a great:deal inoro oi! your oooks when you get back. Books are treasures, you know." Thon ho took friorn his pocket a little golden key. "You promise," ho asked, "to shut the gate behind you; to take good care of this key, and to bo back at the gate at 6 o'clock?- The time is most important, for I must be back on duty then." "We promisej" said the twins, and tho little man handed Peter the key. "Six o'clock 1 Don't forgot!" he said, "And now shut your eyes, count fifty * backwards, and turn round twice." ■..;.. Tho twins'did as they were told, and when they' opened their eyes they found themselves -standing on a white, dusty road, with bluo sky abovo them, green fields' and sunshine all around them, and a few .yards in front a tiny white gate in a tiny white stone wall. "That must bo tho gate into the Land of Story-book People!" cried Helen. / "Why it's scarcely two foot high!" oxclaimed Peter, catching hold of his sister's hand. "Lot's run and jump it. 'I'nv sure we can!" "Oh, no,, don .% We might land on top of somebody," .objected Helen. - Then, to their surprise they discovered that aY they approached the gate they grew smaller and smaller, until they were just tall enough to fit the key into the. lopk., • The' first thingthey noticed after they had shut the gate was a pleasant-faced woman saying good -bye to a little girl at the door of a pretty cottage. Tho girl wore a red cloak '.and hood, and carried a casket. "Look, Pete! I'm sure that's.'.Little Bed Biding Hood," said Helen aloud. Tlie little ',-gixl turned and smiled at the twins; "I am," she said, "and I'm taking this basket of good things to my grandmother. Will you come part of the way with me?" The twins gladly agreed, and, as they walked through the shady wood, Little lied Siding. Hood told them a great deal about the Land of. Story-book People. The twins wished they could stay longer for they would be able to sco only a small part of tbia strange land before 6 o'clock. .Suddenly they were startled by two -~ children who oi.ine. running through the wood. They were Gretchen and Hans, who had just escaped from the witch's cottage. . -. "Have a pieeo of wall!" laughed Hans, giving Peter a large hunk of plum-cake. Gretchen gave them some sugary window-pane. They they said good-bye, and ran off home. (To be continued.) "DORIS." Nelson.